Few things I saw from the game and V-Span: - 8 or 9 of his points came from US defenders' mistakes. He got 6 free throws off getting fouled twice on 3 point attempts when they really should have left him alone. And he did drive into the lane and draw a foul on a breakaway but was helped by a goaltending call shooting an aggressve but sloppy layup. But like Dwayne Wade in the finals they all count. And the rest of his game was still solid. - Offensively he has adequate quickness and first step for the NBA level and good crossover move to get past defenders and will go hard to the rim. Of all the Greek guards or even players his game would translate the most. Not a pure point guard but there was enough comfort when he had the ball in his hands that he wasnt gonna blow it. His shot is a bit suspect but he seems to have a way to generate offense when needed. - His defense wasn't too bad. Not the guy that's gonna stay locked onto his man step for step but he'll let you know he's there. Very crafty in trying to draw charges and getting in path of the opposing player. Him and Battier can be an All-Flop team out there. Taking a drive in the chest from a player much bigger than him in Lebron and bouncing right back up unfazed. Tough, NO fear on either end of the floor. He's a competitor and scrapper which I like. I don't think his game against US was a complete accident. His Euro stats for the playoffs were increasingly higher than his regular season averages which means he steps up for the big games. Still the team can only expect like 7-8 pts and 2.5-3 assts a game or something, can't go too overboard...Not sure he'll score more than Kirk Snyder even. But its great to know he demonstrated he can perform against NBA talent
Please, Please no more as if analysis... as if the kid wasn't a rookie. as if he had a long bit of NBA experience as if he wasn't guarding 2 of the hardest covers in the world (wade and Lebron) and staying in front them as if he had nothing to do with squelching almost every USA comeback attempt as if the kid hasn't shown a history of playing clutch and even more clutch the more important the game as if he was given the name KillBill because he loves Tarentino and Killed several opponnents by beheading them as if he doesn't have more heart and passion than you will ever know as if you were a Super Scout he knew what you were talking about. Thank You
Isn't Jasikevicius kinda old at 29? Isn't there an adjustment period(1-2 years) for foreign players like Jasikevicius, Ginboli and Nocioni? V-Span is 24. V-Span still has his prime years ahead of him, unlike Jasikevicius and Sabonis who were past their primes. He ain't Ginobli, but he ain't Jasikevicius either.
hehe, this is nothing, as soon as the season starts, and VSpan has one or two bad games, you will hear the trolls scream
Jasikevicius went to Maryland (and IIRC even to highschool in US) so that's a non-factor in his case. And IMHO munco is spot on.
I am bitterly Prejudiced against prejudice, people who are prejudiced, people who are convinced other people are prejudiced. **** all of you who are prejudiced, use prejudiced arguments, and are convinced others can't see past race. You guys are all sooooo 1960's. White people with race issues, crawl back in your holes. Black people with race issues, grow up. Chinesse basketball fan brothers and sisters, we are family. Stop with the racists comments and racist reactions.
Yeah I know. What gets me is this kid has won at every level and improved at every level. And while there are no guarantees it is a pretty sure bet he will continue to learn and improve even more with the Rockets. I am excited about his future knowing he won't contribute overnight but will in all probability be a great addition for our Rockets, maybe more than anyone else we acquired this off season. Of course we have stud posters who also double as operators at Miss Cleo's psychic hotline and can predict how many points and assists he will average and how unimpressive his career will be. The guy hasn't even put on a Rocket uniform yet. Geez let the guy play a game before you nail him to the cross. Again he has exceled at every level and he will continue to but more than that his teams have exceled. Hell the Greek National team just blewup USA and are headed to the WC final and Spanouli was truly the catalyst of that. And given the opportunity I believe he will do the same for the Rockets. He is a winner that makes others around him better and while he doesn't have every skill honed he will continue to work and work to do so. The funny thing is everyone was crying that we didn't sign James this summer and we had no plan B! It is looking more and more like the best move the Rockets made this offseason was not signing James.
If the NBA draft had happened prior to the NCAA Tournament and the Rockets drafted a player that was playing like a possible MVP candidate of that tournament every one on this board would be going nuts. Just remember how crazy this board was the summer we drafted Eddie Griffin. Every time V-Span goes out and performs the way he has consistently performed over the last couple of years and more to the point in the WC it gives the both the Greek fans and any true Rockets fan a reason to get excited. To me the way V-Span is performing is even better than if he were in a US college doing it against level 1 competition in the NCAA Tournament because he is doing it against elite NBA talent. Nothing that happens prior to an NBA career guarantee’s success in the NBA but the way V-Span has performed certainly legitimizes the excitement about him on this board. He certainly is as good as any candidate drafted this year to be ROY. It probably will not happen on JVG's team but as far as I am concerned V-Span has already been measured against a much more tangible measuring stick than any other Rookie coming into the NBA this season. He not only passed but he has excelled. V-Span is just as much a ROY candidate as Manu was when he entered the NBA.
No. You will hear the V-Span "lovers" blame JVG for all his problems. The hyper-defensive attitude some people have about V-Span is amazing. The terms "troll" and "hater" are being tossed around much too loosely. Calm down. If you think calling people names will silence debate about him I've got news for you: It won't. Trying sticking with facts instead of name-calling. All Rocket fans want him to succeed and contribute whether they be V-Span "lovers", neutrals or skeptics and everyone is entitled to post their opinion about him whether you like it or not. Go Rockets! That's all that matters. If V-Span plays good enough to start over Alston or Snyder/Luther, awesome. That means we had a pretty good offseason.
As for the V-Span skeptics. We should not be so quick to be angry at them for being skeptic. The Rockets history over the past several seasons has given every Rockets fan a reason to be skeptical. Having said that V-Span has given every Rockets fan a reason to feel a little hope that something other than Yao has worked out for the team in the last several years.
I agree with most of this. What I don't understand is how the anti-JVG crowd or the current hype about V-Span is relevant. There were very few here that have argued for a roster spot for him for over a year. Not because he's an exceptional player yet, but he's exactly the kind of pg we've lacked for a long time (all due respect to Sura). I don't think people here recognize that we really wanted this kid in camp last year (at least CD did) and how that impossibility ended up being a factor in the MJ/Alston trade. Having watched him against the USA team I have to say that I agree he looks like he's running in mud, his outside shot is still very suspect, and his ball-handling often looks extremely awkward. And yet he's impressed me the 5 or 6 times I've really seen him play. There will be plenty of time to trash this guy next year and who cares? We need to utilize a potential asset even if he eventually crashes and burns. And he still came relatively cheap. I think JVG's the perfect coach for Spanoulis, but again the growing pains are going to be there.
Yeah, I think it's going to be hillarious watching JVG scream at him. But I think this kid has the intestinal fortitude, the guts, and the smarts to take it and learn. He's a gamer with some skills and a good head on his shoulders. I tell you what I am worried about more than anything is Rafer becoming a disruption if VSpan takes his starting role and cuts into his minutes significantly.
I know you're joking, but this is a very real possibility with JVG. He has a history of not playing young rookies even when they are the best option. I hope JVG puts the best players on the floor and leaves the politics out of his rotation for once. He may be more flexible this year with his job on the line. V-span may step in at just the right time to actually get some playing time. His performance against the best players in the world means he could be more NBA ready than we ever thought.
hell, Ill do youone better in calling out this myth. Name ONE time he has done as you are suggesting thewaterrox. This myth has already been busted..
Yao has played MANY MANY good games, and the trolls are still there, and very loud. Hell, Charley Rosen wrote a Yao-bashing article after a game where he SCORED 36 POINTS. You think V-Span fans have it tough?
